Creamy (No Cream) Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Warm, oven fresh spinach artichoke dip is a comforting way to celebrate fall. And now that fall is just around the corner, its tastes are coming in from my kitchen. My creamy....no cream....spinach artichoke pasta is pasta drenched in delicious spinach artichoke dip. And all this in just one pan.

The joy of cooking at home is in getting all the flavor and still controlling what goes inside. When I was not so well aware about the food I ate, I never realized that almost in any restaurant, the served spinach artichoke dip packs almost 700-900 calories...and that's in an appetizer. Good Lord! Neither spinach nor artichoke have that amount of calories. I many times wonder, why do restaurants instead of promoting the natural full flavor foods manage to throw in ingredients that are not even real food. Well by the time I will figure it out, I can fix several easy delicious recipes in my own kitchen ;-) 

For those who are looking for increasing fiber in their diet, grab some artichokes. 3oz of artichokes pack 7gms of fiber with just 45 calories. A serving of artichoke is also 2 gms of plant based protein. If you are going to use marinated or canned artichokes, consume in moderation due to the amount of sodium. Always rinse them thoroughly. For making this pasta, get your spinach and artichoke bags and lets get started :)

Recipe
serves 4
2 cups pasta, preferably penne or rotini
2 lbs spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup canned artichokes, well drained and sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1Tbsp garlic, chopped

Sauce
1Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 cup of 2% or !% milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup parmesan grated (optional)
Click For Bechamel Sauce Recipe

• Heat a pot of water seasoned with salt for our pasta.
• Meanwhile heat a pan with just one spray of Pam.
• Add sliced onions. Cook until translucent and set aside.
• In the same pan, add garlic and saute for a min. Add spinach and wait for it to reduce. No need to boil off all its juices. Save it with the spinach. Set aside when done.
• In the same pan, now add the artichokes and let them brown a little. When done set aside.
• Meanwhile, check on your pasta water and throw in some pasta. Cook as per the box instructions.
• While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce in the same pan. Click here for recipe.
• Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the grated parmesan. This step is optional.
• One by one fold in cooked onions, spinach, artichokes and pasta.
• Serve Hot and enjoy with comfort.

I usually serve myself less pasta in more sauce and enjoy with a slice of toasted baguette on the side to enjoy my spinach artichoke dip too. Appetizer to entree in one plate! Yum Yum!

Bon Appetit!